Today this statue is being dedicated and one of my heroes is being honored at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown New York. I wrote about Buck when he passed away back in October 2006. I was sad that major league baseball did not honor Buck when he was alive. I will never forget that day when this beautiful gentleman spoke to about 50 of us at work about his experiences growing up in segregated America and about how he learned to love people. He was a great man and worthy of the honor being bestowed on him today. This quote sums it up:
"Don't shed any tears. You think about this: Here I am, the grandson of a slave. And here the whole world was excited about whether I was going into the Hall of Fame or not. We've come a long ways.” - Buck O'Neil
A beautiful tribute, Bob and a wonderful statue of Buck O'Neil.
ReplyDeleteI've long admired Buck O'Neill. He was a mid-career player when black players began to play in MLB in the late 1940s, and he apparently chose to stay with the Monarchs as a player and manager. Despite a few good years he didn't post the career stats that the Hall is looking for, but he had the distinction of being the first black coach in MLB. He was also a class act all the way around.
ReplyDeleteThis week CNN has been doing a documentary on what its like to be Black in America. Its been interesting and eye opening. I was chatting with a friend last night (black male) and he shared some of his personal stories of being discriminated against because of the color of his skin. We've come a long way, but sadly not far enough :(
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